Wednesday 24/06/09 InMusic Festival, Day One @ Zagreb, Croatia

Share

Housed along the man-made Lake Jarum in the heart of Zagreb, the T-Mobile InMusic Festival is unusually for a festival, midweek. Running 5pm-2am, it didn’t really fill up until 8pm as most of the crowd had been at work surely it would make more sense at the weekend? Although Thursday was a National Bank Holiday in Croatia and wasn’t any busier. As a result the atmosphere was somewhat flat. In fact it was hugely civilised considering what usually happens when 20,000 people get lashed in a field, although this may have had something to do with the distinct lack of English people.

After some unmemorable local Croatian rock, a tanned looking Lily Allen charged onto the main stage a little after 7 looking like an extra from Back To The Future. The black biker jacket and Raybans only last for opener ‘Everybody’s At It', though it takes until the fourth track – her cover of the Kaiser Chief’s ‘Oh My God’ - to get the levels right. Dedications went out to the new couples (‘Who’d Have Known’) and “anyone who is an arsehole” (‘Fuck You’), impressing the teenage crowd who knew every word.  ‘Smile', and a cover of ‘Womanizer’ followed and whilst singing about having a Chinese isn’t particularly groundbreaking, her set is undoubtedly polished.

Much later, New York’s the Yeah Yeah Yeahs headlined the second stage, which was little more than a band stand. Dressed like the Ultimate Warrior Karen O shrieks, screams and squeals through the 14-track set. ‘Heads Will Roll’ is a sensational opener, the blend of electro-rock in stark contrast to the final offering ‘Date With The Night', stomping punk from 2003’s ‘Fever To Tell'. ‘Dull Life’ and ‘Zero’ excel - the latter combined with enough confetti to fill a church - before a stripped version of the already thread-bare ‘Maps’ leaves a lump in the hardest of throats. O’s voice still wavering as she sings ”wait, they don’t love you like I you love.”

Either side of the YYYs, Kraftwerk – dance music pioneers – and Franz Ferdinand played headline slots on the Main Stage. A huge curtain covers the main stage as the four some appear as giant red silhouettes for ‘Machine’ before opening to reveal four middle-aged men in black jump suits standing behind laptops. The bleeps and bloops of ‘Tour de France’ were a highlight as was ‘Autobahn'. The problem with playing from a laptop is they could be doing anything.  A disservice perhaps but how much of the set is pre-recorded is impossible to ascertain. Rumours they were playing Championship Manager remain unconfirmed.

Franz Ferdinand followed, almost huddled together in the middle of the stage, they launched through ‘Do You Wanna,’ and ‘Walk Away’ as their older material sat perfectly next to their newer funkier output. ‘Jacqueline’ and ‘This is Fire’ tie it all up nicely but to be honest they’ve been better. The sets were too long as well – the problem with booking a limited number of acts. It must be said that the Dance Tent was very tame as Richard Dorfmeister - and for some reason an MC - produced some pretty uninspiring beats. Certainly with Franz and Lily – both straight off to Glasto – there was a definite sense of getting it done and going. 

InMusic festival in photos